The branches wiggled like the tentacles of an octopus and squirmed around like a pervert, soaking up the blood and blackening its long dead wooden frame a notch further. The branches were sentient, the dragon blood tree was a fraud that settled for Wyverns!
The branches I stood on started waving around as more and more circled me.
We already had two wyverns that had fallen to the ground. Those should be enough stones.
Then, I could go all out and wreck this stupid tree.
I stretched my arms ahead of me, locking my fingers. The branches lingering around swayed, and then, a whistle erupted as the branches shot through the air faster than the wyverns ever could. The branches grazed my cheeks, leaving a trail of blood.
"Woah. Hell sure is crazy."
"Right?" Titania muttered. "It's great training grounds."
The branches all started to shoot at me like bullets out of a gun. I swiftly dodged them all while chatting with Titania.
The tree was learning.
My footing fell and shook apart as the tree's branches started to saunter again. Breaking my balance completely.
"I can't topple this thing, right? Won't that be like announcing my presence?" I landed on my shield and continued chatting with Titania. The branches still kept shooting at me and I dodged them all as if I was playing competitive twister.
Eventually, the number of branches grew even more as if forming a net all around me. I hopped off the shield and slammed my foot on the trunk of the tree. A few that neared me were swiftly chopped off with my Ki.
As if to say it wasn't done, the part of the trunk I stood at moved and vines emerged from that very spot.
Cool.
I stepped backward. That spot wriggled too.
One after another, I kept moving down the trunk. The uneven extension that arose from the branches started to disappear and I was left on a ninety-degree incline against the ground. Even then, the trunk wiggled and more vines, no, roots started to emerge from within.
I shot backward. My eyes remained on the newly growing roots and the many branches that tried their best to chase me while I ran backward down the tree. It was slightly tough, I could probably add it in my training regimen.
"Eugene Hall?! What is this!?"
Noa's loud voice entered my ears. I swatted branches like handling a troop of mosquitoes as I turned back. She was not that far, Catene wrapped around her waist.
"Yo, Noa. Getting a better sense of balance now?"
"HUH!? Speak louder!"
Eh well, she was already used to being thrown into things.
I twisted my body and turned my back to the branches. Lowering my stance, I dashed down the tree as fast as I could.
"H-hey! Slow down!!"
Noa screamed.
I smiled.
The tree was unable to catch up to my speed. I kept running down and in no time, neared Noa. She shriveled, thinking I would step over her, but she was wrong.
My feet passed by her in an instant and before going down, I grabbed the chains wrapped around her waist.
Catene rattled, but I didn't care.
I lifted Noa off the tree along with the chains and turned back again.
My muscles contracted.
"[Noa Magic: Noa attack]!"
And I threw Noa up in the sky, straight into the branches.
"Waaa! Bastardddd!!"
***
Noa flew up high. Her eyes widened as she summoned her axe in her hands. A special artifact from the northern confederacy, the axe could turn into a bracelet around her arms and then back into the weapon at her will.
Before the axe could materialize, though, the annoyed branches all charged into her.
"Tsk." Noa cut them all with her intent ki. But she missed the roots that emerged from the stump below her.
"Catene di Adamas! Modo Difesa!!"
A shout erupted from behind her. The chains wrapped around her waist glowed, and turned into a cloak. The cloak curled around her and all the branches that tried to attack her bounced off.
Noa's axe materialized at the perfect time. She took support from the trunk of the tree and with a single twirl, chopped off every single attack hurtling toward her.
She gazed below. Still perpendicular to the tree, the bastard that had thrown her up had both his hands placed forward, three ethereal magic circles formed around him.
"Noa, make some space," he said.
Noa took in a sharp breath. Something appeared near her feet, an invisible shield, out at the perfect time to give her footing.
Noa was feeling an itch in her hands.
This bastard was really throwing her around however he wanted. She didn't mind it much, the one doing it was very spicy in her eyes, but she still didn't really like being taken lightly.
"Just to the top?" Noa asked, eyeing the numerous branches and roots gathering again.
"Yup," Eugene answered.
Noa took in a deep breath and pulled her axe behind her. Her stance lowered and her Ki surged.
"[Trinity Series. Destruction Attribute:]" Eugene spoke.
She ignored it all and closed her eyes.
In the darkness, her senses heightened.
After being bested by Eugene Hall, she was grandly pissed.
She knew they both held experience that went well beyond their age, but it was still annoying to be bested by that bastard, all because she couldn't tell where he was.
And so.
In the single month that she spent inside Eugene Hall's spatial dimension.
She spent every single moment she could into working harder and growing stronger.
The result, was the birth of the youngest person to cross the bottleneck of Intent Ki and near the stage of Soul Ki, even greater than the genius that was Keith.
Names weren't needed, she didn't want to act cool like that doofus below her.
Noa let out a breath.
And swung her axe.
A simple swing that barely made a swoosh.
Eugene Hall was left blinking at the sight that had seemingly done nothing. It didn't matter though, since his attack could handle the branches too—
His line of thought was interrupted.
A thundering roar spread through the skies, followed by a gust of wind that sent him reeling back despite standing on his shields.
And when he blinked.
A chunk of the tree had separated from the rest.
"Haha…" he chuckled.
It seemed his spells weren't needed this time.
